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“The front porch to me, is synonymous with connection. And really… is there anything more crucial for mankind than openness and connection?” – Danielle Shubert

What would you do if you were porch chillin’ and someone approached you asking for a photograph. Would you feel like it was an invasion of privacy and quickly shoo them away? Would you grab a glass of lemonade and invite them up for a chat? What’s your front porch vibe like?

“Uptown” – by Danielle Shubert

The Porch Project: Porch Portraits of New Orleans is the culmination of a three year visual documentation series based on the importance of porch culture and Creole lifestyle in New Orleans. Nearly everyday for three years (2013-2016), Danielle Shubert spent a minimum of two hours documenting people on their porch in different neighborhoods of New Orleans.

“New Orleans is ALIVE. People REALLY live. The streets vibrate. And not just during Mardi Gras. The presence can be felt through one phenomenally engineered architectural feat…the front porch. This is where the living happens! It’s a glimpse into the insides that the rest of the world prefers to hide. It’s where people share their gumbo, eat red beans and rice on Monday, boil crawfish, and dance to a second line. Ultimately, it’s openness, compassion, a hand and heart to share however much or little you have with your neighbor. And that might just be as little as acknowledging their presence.” – Danielle Shubert, Photojournalist based in New Orleans.

“Deacon John” – By Danielle Shubert

“The front porch to me, is synonymous with connection. And really, is there anything more crucial for mankind than openness and connection? It’s easy to feel powerless about the injustices occurring across the globe, but the single best thing a person can do as an individual is to express kindness to your neighbor. And that’s what I hope to convey through this project.I hope to encourage people to observe the things in their community that work to promote harmony and connectionin their world.”

Danielle with her book featuring images from “The Porch Project”

“It was exhausting.” says Danielle. “Some people were into the idea but I also got a lot of rejections and put myself into some hairy and dangerous situations. Approaching people on their turf can come with risks. But the times when I was able to get people into the concept, I was elated. I would see a beautiful scene, a beautiful porch with people living their lovely lives and would approach them and tell them about the project. This took nerves of steel- completely pushed me out of my comfort zone. But I was on a mission.”

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